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new to tig welding

04-16-2013, 09:16 PM

I'm just starting to tig weld. I've been doing stick for the last couple of months and doing vertical up 7018. Still trying to get that to look good but I've got it fairly down pat. I'm starting to try to learn a little about tig welding and was wondering if y'all had any tips that helped you out when you first started. I've looked through the Internet and on different websites and learned a lot. I can make a bead and it has somewhat of a "stack of dimes" look to it.

Id start by learnin your machine how it runs and all that good stuff. I ran a bunch of beads with no filler untill i learned how to keep a steady puddle. After you can keep a steady puddle start with your fill rod

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Something I used to do a lot was...set up a torch with all the basic consumables but with a short hose and cable (about a foot or 2), obtain a couple 1'', 2'', and 5 or 6" pipe coupons, prep and tack those as you would any other for a weld test. Also tack a couple plates together in a T or corner joint, as long and thick as you want.. preferably longer. Take those things around with you wherever you will have time to practice walking the cup on all those joints, practice walking the cup in every position you can possibly think of until your so used to maneuvering the torch it is like an extension of your hand. Be creative in this and it will help you a lot. You can also practice free handing it this way

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That sounds like a really good thing to do. So far I've just been trying to make a halfway decent looking bead on flat steel. I've got it to where it looks similar to a real tig weld, it's just not pretty and consistent like it should be. But I will definitely try the coupons. Thanks

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I believe it's a miller syncrowave 250. Ill have to look at it again tomorrow but I'm pretty sure that's what it is.

Those are really nice machines. I will be getting one myself here shortly. Another thing you can practice anywhere is walking your filler between your fingers to feed it. Some people do like a twisting back and forth motion and others do a inch worm technique. You should be able to come up with a way your comfortable with on your own.. practice with your glove on and it will help alot

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I learned to walk the cup on a mirror in the bathroom of my hotel while I was going to welding school.... I would powder the mirror after a while of just getting the feel of the rig in my hand. I knew what the pattern should look like, and the powder would coat the mirror making it slick as crap and it would leave a pattern of what I did. By the time I got to the tig pirtion of the schooling, I had the cup walking down, after learning how to drop a root in a piece of 6 in. pipe it was all over but the certification. I still do it sometimes when I get bored.... when it comes right down to it brother, YOU JUST HAVE TO WELD IT UNTIL YOU LIKE IT! Good luck.

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I'm a pipe welder on submarines and I started about a year ago. I have to use the mirror everyday, flex head torch, and 45 heads to weld in the situations I do and the one thing that always helped me when I was having trouble was to just focus and take my time. It's hard to mess up with tig so as long as your taking your time adding metal when and where you need to you should be fine. I also have to weld on pre heated joints so something that really helped me out was a tig finger. You put in on a finger on your torch hand, left or right, doesn't matter and you can rest it on the member and can really improve your consistency. Very heat resistant, I would usually work around 200 degrees min. I stick weld a lot as well so if you have any questions let me know and I will help if I can. Hope this helps

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Thanks guys for all the tips. I'm still trying tig as much as I can but my instructor mostly wants us to keep doing stick. (We're not supposed to learn tig in this class but I'm graduating so he wanted me to Atleast have tried it) I'm getting better with vertical up and a little better with tig. Ill try to upload some pics in the next few days. Thanks a lot guys!